


Soumomo Week 2015

by Lady_Spindle



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst, Borderline crack, Cop!AU, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Ghibli!AU, I just took what I thought everyone else would do for the prompts, M/M, Momo is a precious ray of sunshine, Soumomo Week, Sousuke should develop a fashion sense, and tried to do something totally different, but it could never be anything but that, idk - Freeform, okay just the Batman thing later is crack, or maybe just stupid humor, these two are so cute I wanna cry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-23
Updated: 2015-06-20
Packaged: 2018-03-19 06:56:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3600543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Spindle/pseuds/Lady_Spindle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Various drabbles for (most) of the Soumomo Week prompts.  Ranging from fluff to angst to "idk what I was thinking".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 3/22 Glasses

**Author's Note:**

> Alright! Bring on the SouMomo week! 
> 
> (this has been cross posted on both tumblr and Fanfiction.net)

_10 Years in the future_

* * *

 

_You are twenty-eight years old_ , Sousuke scolded himself,  _it's been ten years since you've been to school, why the hell are you this nervous?_

But that was it really, the ten years part. The fact that he was surrounded by bright-eyed students ten years his junior.

_Why am I even here?_ He thought over and over again. Surely it was too late for the likes of him to start college, even if it was at a two-year technical school.

_You're here to learn new-age business techniques, so when you take over dad's business you can keep up with the modern world._ He repeated this until he started to believe it.

A business degree wasn't his main issue, it was this damn Biology Gen Ed that weighed on his nerves. Even with a two year degree, they still required him to take these things. He tapped the end of his pencil absently on the spiral binding of his notebook as the professor finally sauntered in - three minutes late.

"Awright class! Look alive! This ain't no eight-am, so I expect you all to be bright eyed and bushy tailed by the time you hit this class, capiche?" The professor strutted to the center of the class, slamming a dark green briefcase onto the table up front.

"Now for the formalities: I'm Professor Mikoshiba, you may address me as such, or Dr. Mikoshiba, or The Supreme Stagbeetle Lord. Any of those will do."

The class gave a muffled reaction of giggles and murmurs. Sousuke kept his attention trained on the professor, tall and gangly, a good six feet tall with bright orange hair slicked partially back - just enough to keep his spiky hair off his forehead.

"Today we will be doing everybody's favorite: STAG BEETLES!" Professor Mikoshiba made a dramatic motion with his arm to a crudely drawn beetle on one of the whiteboards. "Did you think I would say syllabus? Naw, that'll be next time," he straightened a pair of dark rimmed glasses with his index finger before continuing.

Sousuke watched the entire display with a mixture of enjoyment and skepticism. This professor was animated...almost to the point of being annoying. Bright angled yellow eyes flashed behind the rims of his glasses. Sousuke rather enjoyed the mischievous quirk of his mouth. It was really...cute.

_Stop it._  He could have smacked himself. First day of college and he just had to have a crush on his professor - what was he? Some blushing schoolgirl? Certainly not.

The professor continued his lesson, rambling on and on about how majestic stag beetles are, craftily throwing in scientific technique and actual relevant information. Most of the kids seemed to be enjoying it. When the class ended, Sousuke packed up his things and made the slow trip down to the lecture hall door.

"So Mr. Yamazaki, are you going to say 'hi' or pretend like you don't know me?" The professor drawled as Sousuke headed for the door.

"Do I...know you?" He paused, perplexed.

"Oh come on! We were on the high school swim team together! Don't tell me you've forgotten...all of that."

Sousuke deadpanned him.

Professor Mikoshiba sighed in a resigned manner and pulled off his glasses.

Sousuke let himself take a closer look, orange hair, yellow eyes, obsession with stag beetles…

"Momo?"

"Give the boy a prize!" He cheered, replacing the spectacles, "looks like someone didn't read the syllabus."

Sousuke couldn't retort, for of course he hadn't.

"In my defence, you look so...different."

"Heh, yeah, you look pretty different yourself - might not have noticed you if you weren't on my class list," Momo shrugged, grinning a thousand lumens.

"But seriously, how much did you grow? And what's up with the glasses?" Without warning, Sousuke reached forward and pulled the spectacles off Momo's face.

"Hey! It's not my fault my eyes decided to fail me!" He flailed his arms, trying to take them back.

Sousuke chuckled vaguely and handed them back. "What's up with your hair too? You look so...grown up."

Momo rolled his eyes, "I am grown up. And there's this dastardly thing called a dress code that says I have to look respectable. At least they let me keep the stagbeetle tie."

"This your first teaching job?"

"By myself yeah, I did some student teaching in grad school, but this place decided to give me a chance," he grinned again, "pretty great of them, huh?" He playfully smacked Sousuke on the shoulder.

"Ah!" He winced.

"Oh, sorry, I uh, forgot which one was the bad one. You can forget a lot in ten years. Did you...ever get that taken care of?"

"Yeah, I did some physical therapy awhile back," he sighed.

"Did it fix things?" Momo pried.

"It works well enough," Sousuke made a rueful face.

"My big brother would be proud," he enthused.

"How is Seijuro?"

"Doing great! He's about to open his own physical therapy practice, oh and he and Gou are expecting their first kid!" He beamed brighter at the mention, "but, I suppose you already knew that through Rin, right?" Sousuke looked away. "Oh you...haven't been in touch?"

"Not for a couple years," he swallowed hard.

Momo nodded quickly and changed the subject.

"Wanna head to lunch? My next class isn't until two."

"Uh, sure," Sousuke followed.

Once they reached the cafeteria, Sousuke asked, "don't you think it's a little strange for professors to be eating in the cafeteria?"

"Um, I wouldn't normally, but I forgot my lunch today. You know, classes starting is stressful and crazy."

"And I'm certain your organizational skills didn't have anything to do with it," Sousuke nonchalantly sipped his drink.

"Hey, I roomed with Nitori-senpai for two years - I learned from the best! Or in this case, I suppose, the worst," Momo shook his head, "I meant to ask, what brings you here? It was surprising to see a twenty-eight year old on my roster."

"I need this as a Gen Ed, figured science was better than math-"

"That's the spirit!" Momo cheered into his coffee.

"Otherwise I thought I should pick up a degree before I'm thirty."

"What for?"

"Business. I'm gonna be taking over dad's business in a few years, seemed appropriate that I know what I'm doing," he shrugged.

"Good plan! Education rocks!" Momo raised his cup.

"The kid I knew ten years ago wouldn't have said that," Sousuke mused.

"Yeah well, things change…" He trailed off. "Er, to clarify, you're not taking over the family business because your dad is sick or anything, right?"

"Oh no, nothing of the sort," Sousuke waved his hand, "Dad wants to retire, as long as he's got someone to keep the business running, he figures why not sooner than later."

"I see...wow, look at the time!" Momo exclaimed, "I have prep in ten minutes!" He gulped down the rest of his coffee and lept to his feet. Sousuke too rose out of his chair.

"It was nice talking to you, Momo," he murmured, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, we should do this more often," Momo grinned broadly. Without skipping a beat, he leaned forward to wrap Sousuke in a hug.

The taller man jumped slightly as Momo's wiry arms snaked their way around his neck, unabashedly crushing him close in the middle of the cafeteria. Sousuke squeezed him back, arms resting around his waist. It didn't occur to him to treat this instance any other way.

Momo's chin fit perfectly atop his shoulder, and the red head inadvertently pressed his cheek against Sousuke's as they embraced. It was a gesture so intimate, maybe if he just -

The two pulled apart a moment later, returning to, what they supposed, was an appropriate distance for friends and professionals.

"Well, see ya in class Sou-chan, don't be late!" Momo called over his shoulder as he put his tray on the conveyor belt.

"Yeah, see ya…" Sousuke echoed.

The redhead scampered off, and Sousuke's eyes followed him until he disappeared from sight. Momo had been avoiding the elephant in the room, and since the cafeteria was a public place, Sousuke was glad. He just wondered how long the professor would wait before saying something.

Or maybe he had chosen to forget altogether.


	2. Proposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 3/23 Soumomo Week day 2
> 
> Cop!AU  
> Sousuke is the sheriff, and Mobster Momo makes him an offer he can't refuse...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I'm just gonna leave this here.

Smoke clouded the grungy bar in a pervasive fog. Sousuke squinted in an attempt to see through the haze. He checked the instructions scrawled messily onto his palm for the umpteenth time - they directed him to a specific table. He wove in and amongst various patrons either face planted in their drink or riotous with inebriated euphoria. What a scuzz-bucket. Though in general the sheriff didn't believe in taking on missions alone, Deputy Matsuoka was away for the week on personal leave, and Sousuke wasn't about to ask some greenhorn to be his backup.

The specified table housed a single figure who lounged back, orange hair sticking out all amok from his haphazardly tipped fedora. Sousuke slid into the booth opposite him, posture stiff and irritated.

"So you got my instructions, eh Yamazaki?" The mobster grinned lopsidedly.

"Yes Momo. I did." Sousuke kept his gaze even and cool. "I didn't appreciate the brick that carried the message through the station window at three in the morning."

"Mmm, but it was still enough for you to come," Momo took a long drag from a cigarette he lit, puffing the smoke in Sousuke's face.

The sheriff coughed, waving it away with irritation.

"Then spill it. I don't have all day."

"You're not even gonna ask how I'm doing?" Momo whined, shrugging deeper into his trenchcoat.

"Tch, why should I? You may have pulled a hat trick to get out of prison last time, but who says I don't have plans to arrest you right here and now?"

"Because you're alone, Yamazaki. No deputy to back you up," Momo cracked his knuckles.

"Then I suppose it's fair to note that you too are alone," Sousuke leaned on his elbows, "Your boss Nitori won't come to bail you out."

"You caught me, the boss is taking a vacation. Strange how both Mr. Matsuoka and the Boss' times off coincide," Momo said innocently.

Sousuke ignored the jolt of irritation that ran through the back of his mind. "To business. You mentioned a cargo that was absolutely necessary to move. I assume that if I aid you, the 'stuff' won't become a hazard?"

"Correct. I'll even offer you a percentage of the haul as extra incentive. If you're still game, follow me out back in five minutes," Momo hopped to his feet, twirling his trenchcoat. "Don't be late~" He winked at Sousuke who scoffed.

"Tch," he muttered, unwilling to admit the flamboyant mobster had a certain charm.

As instructed, he rendezvoused with Momo behind the bar. He had removed his trenchcoat; the gaudy thing had been wrapped around a medium sized cardboard box.

"That's it?" Sousuke gestured to the box.

"Yep, you're gonna help me make a very special delivery," he gestured to a rundown truck.

Sousuke eyed him suspiciously, but climbed into the truck all the same.

If the 'stuff' was something illegal and destructive, so long as Sousuke saw where it was headed, he had a chance to intercept it before it could cause harm. As long as Momo was being cooperative, why not take advantage?

Momo drove in silence, occasionally snatching glances at the box in the back seat.

Sousuke followed his gaze carefully - surely it wasn't rigged to blow?

"May I asked how you acquired the 'stuff'?" Sousuke asked airily.

Momo jumped slightly, "I um, well, there was a place, and I saw the stuff, no one was using it, so I...took it."

"I see," Sosuke narrowed his eyes.

Momo seemed to squirm under his gaze, "it's really not what you think."

"Of course it's not."

"If you had so little faith in me, you wouldn't be here," he muttered.

"I wouldn't call it 'faith'," Sousuke retorted.

"But you do care, sheriff. You can't deny that."

Sousuke grunted noncommittally.

"Hmm, apathy does not befit you Yamazaki - you should try putting your heart into something for once," Momo teased. "And after this little trip, I think you'll have ample opportunity to do so."

"Don't get your hopes up," he snorted.

They rolled to a halt before a medium sized duplex; in one of the better parts of town, quaint and clean.

"This is it?"

"Yep. I told you, we're just making a delivery."

With the utmost delicacy, Momo untangled the box from his coat, tiptoed down the sidewalk, and gingerly placed the package on the front step of the duplex.

"Shall I give you a ride back to the police station?" Momo asked as the truck sputtered to life.

"I'd prefer to not be seen associating with you," Sousuke kept his arms crossed and eyes averted.

"Aw, such a hardboiled cop you've become. Don't worry, I"ll rub off on you soon enough," he flashed a brilliant grin, "you won't be able to resist."

Sousuke scoffed, but even Momo could tell he didn't sound convinced.

As per the sheriff's request, Momo dropped him off a half mile away from the police station.

"You'll get your percentage in a day or two," Momo called after the sheriff, "see ya later, Sousuke," he rolled up his window, revving the truck as he did.

Sousuke watched him speed off with the squeal of tires and a cloud of dust.

He shook his head slowly. That Mikoshiba kid sure was something else...

* * *

 

The next day…

Sousuke returned to the office early, when the sky was still a hazy shade of gray the sun hadn't quite broken through. Rin was there too, back from vacation. Already hard at work, the deputy paused only to make zombie-like trips between his desk and the coffee machine.

The sheriff wandered to his desk, noticing a small, open cardboard box. He peered inside to see what it could possibly be.

Instead of drug or weapons or more paper work, the only item in the box was fluffy, orange, and mewling.

A kitten? Pulling a face, Sousuke withdrew the puffball from the box for closer inspection. It blinked avid yellow eyes at him and yawned. A tag hung around its neck, reading: "As promised, your percentage". Eyes flicking between the kitten and the tag, Sousuke finally registered that the ever-so-important cargo Momo insisted he needed his help with had been nothing more than a box of kittens. And now he was saddled with one. The kitten mewed, reaching a paw out to claw Sousuke across the nose.

"You little monster!" Sousuke exclaimed, shifting the furry demon to one hand so he could nurse his scratched nose with the other.

"Oi Sousuke, where'd you get the kitten?" Rin asked offhandedly, on his fourth or fifth coffee raid.

"I have no clue and I'm getting rid of it," his eyes still smarted.

"It's kinda cute," Rin yawned.

"Tired after your 'vacation'?" Sosuke redirected, half-teasing, half-wanting to let Rin know he knew exactly why the deputy had asked for time off.

"Yeah."

"Enjoy your 'personal time off'?"

"Uh, yeah…" Now he sounded confused.

"I suppose you didn't get much sleep either," Sousuke observed with an all knowing look.

Rin, still confused, attempted to clarify, "No I did not. That's what happens when you're at the hospital at 1 AM when your sister goes into labor."

"Wait, what?!"

"Gou had a baby. Surprise! Oh, and you're coming with me to the hospital later to meet her. I think they're finally letting friends visit," Rin downed another cup of coffee.

"I, um, er. I thought...you took time off for...something else," Sousuke trailed off uncomfortably.

"I don't know where you got...whatever impression you're working off of," Rin grumped, taking a bite of a donut, only to grimace at its insufferable sweetness.

Sousuke glared at the kitten he still held. Oh he knew where the 'impression' came from, and was that orange-haired devil ever going to get an earful the next time he saw him. The kitten mewed sweetly and booped Sousuke on the nose with a sheathed paw.

How could something so irritating be equally endearing...

* * *

 

BONUS:

"Makoto, where did these furry abominations come from?" Haru deadpanned as he walked into their half of the duplex.

"Haru the most amazing thing happened today a box of kittens showed up on the doorstep aren't they wonderful!" Makoto enthused. He lay on the couch, at least four kittens snuggling with him.

"You are a respectable human being with a boyfriend, Makoto. There is no reason for you to become a crazy cat lady at your age," Haru sighed deeply. One of the kittens began rubbing its cheek against his pant leg.

"Aww, she likes you!" Makoto cooed.

"Get rid of them."

"No! Haru-chan what do you have against cats?"

Looking slightly miffed, the raven-haired boy looked off to the side and muttered, "cats don't like water, therefore I can't love them."

Makoto smiled, "Oh Haru, not all cats hate water, in fact, tigers love to swim!"

Something flared in Haru's eyes, "then we'll just have to see which of these cats like water!" He scooped up the kitten at his heels and advanced to Makoto's kitten stronghold.

"Haru no! They're just babies! You can't go around throwing them into the bathtub!"

"But we must weed out the unworthy. Only the ones that like water can stay."

"Haru no!" Makoto wailed.

In the end, the kitten that liked Haru enjoyed swimming. She is his only favorite. Makoto kept the other six safe from Haru's crusade. They decided to keep them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was I supposed to take this seriously? Oopsies. 
> 
> Tomorrow's prompt: "I've waited here for you"


	3. I've Waited Here For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conclusion to Monday's prompt "Glasses". Sousuke and Momo have to come to terms with their shared pasts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally some angst wahahaha. Hope you all like it, I shirked homework for this monster ^^;
> 
> Enjoy lovelies~

"Nope Sousuke, I insist," Momo looked him in the eye as he shoved his money to the waiter, "lunch is my treat."

"I wish you would quit treating me like a poor college student," the taller man grumbled.

"But you are~" Momo sing-songed, jumping to his feet, "alright, now I'm taking you home to see my bug collection!"

"Do I have to?" Sousuke sighed through his nose.

"You promised!" Momo whined, sounding like his high school self for a moment. He reached out and snagged Sousuke's arm, swinging it to drive his point home. "It won't take long; it only fills one room."

Sousuke watched Momo's eager and hopeful expression with vague amusement. He could feel a strange stirring of emotion deep in his heart. Foreign...but at the same time achingly familiar. He quickly pushed it away.

"Alright, but you can save the monologue about each bug's genus and species for lecture, okay?" He conceded with a melodramatic sigh.

"Excellent!" Momo cheered, shifting his grip on Sousuke's arm to hold his hand, fingers moving thoughtlessly to lace together.

They froze mid motion; both staring down at their entwined hands as though they were alien.

"Um. The train…" Sousuke dropped his hand.

"Right, we'll miss it!" Momo hastily straightened his glasses, following Sousuke outside.

They remained in uncomfortable silence all the way to the train stop, waiting for the train, and the entire train ride until they reached Momo's stop.

Sousuke's hand burned from the contact. It had been thoughtless, but he wished it hadn't. No. That was a lie. The terrifying moments they had held hands brought back too many painful memories. The summer after his graduation, when Momo had unwittingly stumbled into his father's shop looking for work to start saving for college. They had worked together, become close friends, and in the most cliche way possible; they had fallen for each other. Sousuke had been reluctant to admit the attraction was real - that this wasn't just misplaced camaraderie from the workplace, or some stupid summer fling. He had been ready to try to love someone else again.

But then summer ended, and the peaceful afternoons spent stocking shelves, stealing kisses behind the shed, enjoying the warmth of the sun together, or listening to the rain pound on the shed's tin roof disappeared. Momo visited as often as school permitted, but Sousuke found himself pining for the summer, where they could see each other more often. He knew it was terribly selfish to want to keep Momo all to himself, but he was finally becoming used to the idea that he loved him. It was a strange, painful feeling - somehow this bug-crazy ball of sunshine had wormed his way into every part of Sousuke's life, chipped away the ice around his heart and warmed what remained. Annoying, loud, spaztic, those were the words he would use to describe Momo, and somehow that was just what he needed to irritate Sousuke past his apathy. Momo cared too much, and all that caring had inevitably rubbed off onto Sousuke.

The next summer came, and it was nothing like Sousuke had wanted. Momo still worked, but he began gradually scheduling hours different from Sosuke, dodging an explanation whenever asked.

Finally, Sousuke, torn apart by betrayal and disappointment, confronted Momo, who admitted bashfully that he had already been accepted into a prestigious university - far away from Samezuka. He wanted to ease apart their relationship before he was ferried away by college. On one hand Sousuke was impressed by his foresight, on the other, he was enraged. Momo could have told him earlier, he would have understood, right? Except he knew that wasn't the case; when he opened himself up enough to love, he loved with his whole being. It wasn't something he could so easily retract. Any separation would be messy and painful, and it was for that reason he usually chose to keep his emotions locked behind a sheet of ice. But with Momo...he had come so far, remembering how wonderful feeling, actually feeling, could be. He didn't want to give it up.

Momo told him staunchly it would be better if they remained friends.

Pain. Pain was a part of feeling. A part Sousuke would have rather lived without.

So they stayed friends; Sousuke supported Momo as much as he could. Because he could look in the mirror and lie to himself that he only loved Momo as a friend, when in reality it ran so much deeper.

Graduation came. Sousuke pulled Momo aside and hugged him tightly. The red head gently told him to remember what they were. "I don't want to make any stupid promises," Sousuke had said, "and I don't want to hold you back in any way but...if...you don't find someone...I'll be waiting here for you." Momo had nodded once, twice and touched his cheek, holding the contact just long enough to convey that he understood.

And that was the last he heard from Momo. Most of them, the guys from Iwatobi, eventually Nitori, and even Rin. They drifted apart. All of them becoming successful while Sousuke stayed static. The ice rebuilt itself in force.

Until today. Those few seconds in the diner shattered his resolve. He felt raw and empty, love was like that when unrequited.

Momo remained silent on the train, eyes peering over at Sousuke who kept clenching and unclenching the hand he had touched, lost in thought. Frankly if Momo hadn't been gripping the cool metal rail until his knuckles turned white, he would be doing the same.

'He might still care about you,' Momo's treacherous mind whispered. He replaced the thoughts with pragmatism - caring about him now would mean Sousuke had in the first place. And of that...he was still uncertain. Even if it was something he thought he wanted. Momo wore his emotions on his sleeves, it was something he always did and probably enjoyed. Though over the years, he had found that a layer of practicality served as good barrier to prevent those feelings from constantly boiling over the surface. If practicality was like a solid, particles stable, then emotions were a gas, erratic and filling every possible space. The moment Sousuke had appeared in his life again, Momo could feel the solidity of his pragmatism start to change states. He melted on the inside every time he caught those clear aqua eyes, and a substance could only take so much before it changed states permanently. Hearts didn't obey the laws of physics, but when he'd inadvertently held Sousuke's hand in the diner, it had skipped the transition stage and gone straight to sublimation*. And now the particles of his feelings swirled and spun inside him until they filled every fiber of his being.

For someone with so many emotions, he really hadn't ever learned how to handle them. The moment he saw Sousuke enrolled in his class, he mentally prepared himself for their reunion. He didn't want the past to be a factor; he just wanted to be friends with Sousuke again. Unfortunately for Momo, Sousuke had never been a definable factor in his life, and if anything, that hadn't changed in the past decade.

The train reached the stop at long last. Momo made brittle small talk as he lead Sosuke to his house; a small, nondescript two bedroom flat (though one of the bedrooms currently housed Momo's ever growing bug collection). In a detached manner, he pointed out the different rooms of the house; his living room, the tiny kitchen, water closet, and bathroom.

Sousuke made himself not hang onto Momo's every word, reminding himself that his voice used to annoy him, and that the entire basis of his renewed feelings was ridiculous. Momo avidly showed him around his bug collection - disturbingly extensive. Moths and butterflies were preserved in cases along the walls, with various beetles and insects preserved in individual jars. Between chattering, Sousuke noticed him frequently adjusting his glasses. It was a nervous habit, and he seemed more agitated than usual. Could it be possible that he too was feeling.

No. Stop. It's impossible. Pretend to enjoy the bugs, Sosuke scolded.

"Recognize this one?" Momo held up a mason jar with a large stag beetle inside.

"Should I?"

"It's Pyunsuke!" Momo announced, grinning despite his jitteriness.

"You...uh…"

"Well he got old and died, so I taxidermied him."

"Oh," Sousuke managed.

"I taxidermied pretty much all of these, except the Luna Moth, that one I bought from overseas."

"Uh huh."

"Okay, enough weirding you out, want some tea before you go?" He offered.

"Sure," Sousuke agreed, grateful to be leaving the bug room. Being surrounded by so many bugs - albeit dead - still made him uncomfortable. Momo's enthusiasm was adorable; that was the one thing that kept Sousuke from complaining about or being disgusted by his bizarre interests. Seeing someone be passionate about something was admirable.

The tea was ready in a few minutes, and despite his best efforts, Momo's hands shook as he poured it, still full of that awful jitteriness.

"Momo, why are you so nervous?" Sousuke asked.

"I! Um, I did that… thing...at the restaurant, I was afraid I made you mad," he floundered.

"I'm not mad. It just startled me."

"Why do you say that?"

Sousuke set down his tea, "obviously you don't like me in that way so-"

"Who says I don't?" Momo blurted before he could stop.

Sosuke raised an eyebrow, "I wouldn't believe you."

"You doubt me?!" He exclaimed.

"We broke up, I don't think I need to explain," Sousuke retained that infuriatingly calm demeanor.

"That doesn't mean I just quit caring!" Momo set down the tea pot with indignance.

"How should I have known? - when I haven't heard any indication for the last ten years!" Sousuke frowned, an ice storm brewing behind his aqua eyes.

"I - I was -" Momo stammered.

"Let me guess, you were 'busy' - just like everyone else, moving on with their perfect lives, leaving me behind," the bitterness in his tone came out in force.

"Who's fault is that?" Momo snapped, regretting it an instant later.

Sousuke jumped to his feet, fists balled at his sides. Momo shrank back. He may have nearly been eye to eye with Sousuke in height, but he still out bulked Momo significantly.

"My fault?! I was waiting for you! All those years, you could have come home, you could have said something - when you graduated or got your first job. I would have loved to hear from you!" His tone was raw with anger.

"I did come home," Momo whispered.

"Then why...didn't you ever say something?!" His voice started soft and crescendoed.

"Because I was scared!" Momo yelled, "I wanted to figure out my own future first, okay? I needed to know that I wasn't just some...preoccupation for you!"

"Preoccupation!?" Sousuke bellowed.

"You were so obsessed with Rin for all those years, when you two decided it would never work between the two of you, I had to make sure I wasn't just some object you were projecting your feelings onto when you were healing from getting over Rin."

"Momo, it was never like that-"

"But how could I know? I was sixteen and you...were the first person I thought I fell in love with. I was terrified that your emotions weren't true, or that I was just going through some stupid...infatuation. I didn't even know what love was," he shook his head. "So I'm sorry if I hurt you. I never meant to," he pulled off his glasses to compulsively clean them; a nervous habit that utterly infuriated Sousuke.

He lunged forward before Momo could replace his glasses and kissed him full on the mouth, holding his head still with one large hand. Momo squirmed under his grip, finally finding the strength to pull away.

"Sousuke no!" Momo protested, "we're finished. I'm sorry the past decade has hurt you so much, but the best thing you can do is forget about all this and move on."

Sosuke stared at him like he was a stranger; this wasn't the Momo he knew. This was the Momo who had had ten years of scientific rationality shoved down his throat. He hated it. Momo was his piece or irrationality - he had offset the balance of Sousuke's predetermined life in the best of ways. Could it be that the Momo he loved was gone?

"I think you should go," Momo whispered. Without his glasses, Sousuke's face was the slightest bit blurry. He leaned forward just enough to fix the focus, noting with surprise that Sousuke's eyes were rimmed red, mouth slack, as though on the verge of tears.

He gave a curt nod and walked out.

Momo stalled for a whole two seconds before regretting everything he said.

Sousuke really had loved him. All this time he'd wasted, telling himself otherwise.

And if he somehow hadn't destroyed everything, Sousuke still loved him.

He bolted out the door after him.

Momo chased him to the train station, sliding onto the train car just as the doors were closing. It wasn't until then he realized he'd left his glasses back at his flat. Sousuke stood directly in front of him - Momo was close enough to see that.

"What are you doing?" Sousuke hissed.

"You're getting off at the next stop and we are talking," Momo said firmly.

"We have nothing to talk about," the taller man glared down at him coldly.

"Fine. But you have to at least get off at the next stop to help me."

"And why do I owe you that favor?"

Momo looked away abashed, "because I left my glasses at home and I can't read the signs without them."

Sousuke made a frustrated sound through his teeth; but he was in no way horrible enough to let Momo stumble around the train station blindly.

"Fine," he hissed, "but after that, I'm gone, alright."

Momo nodded, squinting pathetically without his glasses.

Sousuke looked like he could have flipped the information kiosk when it told him the next train wouldn't arrive for another twenty minutes.

"There's a park across the street," Momo said softly.

"How do you know that if you can't see?" Sousuke snapped.

"I um, come here sometimes to catch bugs," he mumbled.

"Of course," Sousuke said scathingly.

"For research," he added weakly.

Sousuke grunted and started walking towards the park, saying nothing when Momo ashamedly hooked his fingers around Sousuke's elbow so as to be guided across the busy street.

They found a park bench, sitting on absolute opposite ends before descending into painful silence for a good five minutes.

"Sousuke, I'm sorry- I - I didn't know-" Momo began pitifully, unable to stand the tension.

"Enough, Momo. It's done. I shouldn't have gotten mad at you," Sousuke stared straight ahead.

"No...you had every right to," he sighed.

Sousuke exhaled, "whatever we might have been in the past, well, it certainly doesn't matter now."

"But you wish it did," he murmured 'and so do I', he thought miserably.

"Doesn't change the fact that it's meaningless," he said bitterly.

Momo peered at Sousuke though he couldn't read his expression through his blurry eyes.

"It must have been hard, everyone moving away…going on to bigger and probably better things. You probably felt abandoned, and it's partially my fault," Momo squeezed his eyes shut.

"It may have been like that at first, but eventually I began self-perpetuating the abandonment," he wrung out his hands, "it was a preemptive strike; I didn't want to hold anyone back from their future, so I thought they'd be better off if I let them be."

"You underestimate your worth," Momo murmured, "I got so caught up in advancing in my education that...I forgot all of you. Especially you."

Sousuke stayed silent and Momo still couldn't see his expression.

"What you said at graduation...that you'd wait for me...you really meant all that?" It wasn't condescending nor mocking nor incredulous. He stared at Sousuke as a scientist does a subject: quiet awe mixed with fascination, and the slightest amounts of...appreciation.

"I was waiting for you," his voice broke a little, "I was waiting when I should have come to find you."

"You never...found anyone else?" Sousuke shook his head, "neither did I…" Momo whispered. It was killing him not to be able to see Sousuke's expression, not knowing if he was butchering this conversation or making progress. His body worked against his mind, scooting closer to the taller man until finally, just inches away, he came into focus. Sosuke recoiled a bit from Momo's sudden closeness, eyes wide and full of fear and anxiousness.

'He should hate me,' Momo thought, 'this whole time I've been playing off his affections like they were meaningless, just because I was too scared to accept what was right in front of me.'

Momo reached for his hand; a motion so ingrained in his head he couldn't believe that at any point he had forgotten it. Sousuke kept leaning farther back - if he leaned anymore he'd fall off the bench.

This knowledge in mind, he leaned forward and kissed Sousuke, just the barest brush of lips on lips. Sousuke froze, eyes so wide he looked petrified. Momo kept his forehead pressed against his, the tips of their noses touching. He drew in steadying breaths through his mouth, eyes never leaving Sousuke who, for the first time, he felt he could finally see clearly.

"Is this what you want?" Momo breathed.

Sousuke responded by grabbing a handful of Momo's hair to crush their lips together again - painful and messy. Momo tilted his head to give Sousuke a better angle; his hands came to cup Sosuke's jaw, thumbs running nonsensical patterns over his sideburns. Sousuke kissed him achingly slow, like he always had - the only thing that could keep Momo grounded and still.

They pulled apart, burning with the intensity of the feeling. Momo couldn't take his eyes off Sousuke, and clearly he felt the same.

"Only if this is what you want," he sighed, finally answering the question that felt so far away it hardly need an answer.

Momo answered by throwing his arms around Sousuke's neck, hugging him like his life depended upon it. Sousuke held him back, those strong arms warm and steady around his waist.

Far off in the distance, a train whistle blew, jolting the two apart.

"The train!" they exclaimed almost simultaneously, sprinting back across the street and just barely making it inside before the doors closed.

Sandwiched among the other passengers, Sosuke felt comforted by Momo leaning flush against him, he linked their pinkies as they laughed breathlessly. Momo's face was flushed, lips swollen and smile wide. Even Sousuke's cheeks held the hint of a blush, expression open and just the slightest bit dazed.

Back at Momo's flat, they cuddled on his couch after he forbade Sousuke to return to his apartment until morning. Momo lay almost completely atop Sousuke, long arms draped loosely around his neck, head nestled in the crook of his shoulder. Sousuke's arms wound around Momo's waist, his thumb traced absent circles over the skin of his hip where his shirt had hiked up, their legs tangled underneath an old crocheted afghan.

"I want to try this again," Momo murmured into his neck, "the two of us, I mean."

Sousuke pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, "so do I."

Momo smiled, shifting one arm long enough to remove his glasses and set them on the coffee table. He nestled into Sousuke again, eyes fluttering closed.

And Sousuke fell asleep to the sound of Momo's gentle breathing - to a feeling of belonging that he hoped he'd never fall asleep without for the rest of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Side Note*** Sublimation - when a substance goes from a solid directly to a gas, without a liquid state.
> 
> Tomorrow's Prompt: First


	4. First

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluffy stargazing; with a guest appearance of the other two Samezuka boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3/25 Soumomo Week Day 4 - First

"The stars sure are bright here," Ai whistled, halting at the door of the bus. They were returning from a practice meet in a rural community - far away from the city lights that dimmed the constellations back home.

Sousuke gave a noncommittal glance upward, "they're just stars."

"Oi, are you two planning on riding back with us?" Rin called from the bus.

"Yes!" Ai hurried onto the bus. Sousuke followed with a sigh.

They situated themselves on the bus as usual: Sousuke took a window seat and promptly put in headphones. Rin tossed his bag to an empty seat and sat beside him. Across the aisle, Momo had taken the other window seat. Ai plopped down next to Momo, hugging his bag to his chest.

Sousuke let his mind drift to the beat of his music for a few minutes until a yelp broke the tired calm of the bus.

It was Ai who had screamed - because Momo thought it would be hilarious to shove the handful of fireflies he had caught outside the school right under Ai's nose.

Rin put on his resting bitch face and took charge, removing Momo from his seat and tossing him to Sousuke. The captain sat down beside Ai and hugged him, mumbling soothing words into his silvery hair.

"Aww come on, it was just a joke!" Momo groaned, annoyed to be ejected from his window seat.

Rin's head whipped around, "you should know better by now." He returned to comforting Ai, "oh, and toss those bugs outside," he added as an afterthought.

"No way!" Momo protested, clutching his precious fireflies.

Rin sent Sousuke a look that said, "deal with him."

Sousuke opened his hand and gestured for the bugs. "Momo." His tone left no room for negotiation. The redhead passed over the fireflies which Sousuke tossed out the open bus window.

"I worked hard to catch those," Momo grumbled, slouching into his seat, arms crossed, eyes scowling at the floor.

"I'm sure you did," Sousuke replied, disinterested.

"I didn't mean to scare Nitori-senpai. It's not my fault he's afraid of bugs," he muttered.

Sousuke removed his headphones to better hear the animated first year, "you'll still need to apologize when we get back home."

"I know," he sighed, "it's just...fireflies are like...stars you can hold, y'know? They fill up the night with their own little constellations - and you can catch their light. At least until some mean upperclassman throws them out a window."

Sousuke blinked, what were these kids' preoccupation with stars. They were impossible - light years out of reach. Why look up to something unattainable?

"You owe me a firefly when we get back," Momo huffed, sinking farther into his seat.

Sousuke weighed his options, on one hand he could go bug hunting, or maybe…

"How about instead of that we go to the roof of the dorms and look at REAL constellations?" He hoped Momo's bizarre interests would be piqued.

"You would do that?" Momo's eyes glowed like two miniature suns.

"If it means I don't have to catch a bug…"

"Then tomorrow night we can go stargazing!" Momo cheered, mostly to himself.

Sousuke shrugged, and Momo took that as permission to chatter more - about space, about bugs, anything that triggered his fancy.

But about a half hour into the ride Momo began to grow tired. He slowly went from bouncing in his seat to leaning against Sousuke as he always did.

"Y'know why they blink their lights?" Momo asked sleepily, " it's because the males are trying to attract a mate."

"I see," Sousuke commented.

"Bugs are so cool," he mumbled, heavy head bobbing to finally rest against Sosuke.

He shifted slightly, allowing Momo to rest his head more comfortably in the crook of his shoulder. The redhead's arms coiled around one of Sousuke's as they always did, clinging to him like a koala.

"Did you know….stag beetles are nocturnal?" Momo mumbled, making one last valiant effort against sleep.

"You've mentioned it," Sousuke chuckled. He watched Momo's scrunched forehead go lax. The boy sighed, struggling closer to Sousuke's warmth before he fell asleep. Sousuke replaced his headphones and started out at the blur of scenery, comforted by the quiet and the small boy clinging to him, who would, inevitably, be drooling on his arm by the time they returned to Samezuka.

* * *

As promised, Momo dragged Sosuke to the roof to look at the night sky.

Light pollution clouded some of the dimmer stars, but overall still left a stunning view.

"Oh boy! This is awesome! Way better than some bug!" Momo pranced around the roof looking up, making Sousuke tense when he ventured too close to the edge for his comfort.

"Hey, Momo...you should come stand by me, tell me about the constellations," in truth, Sousuke didn't care about them, but if it kept Momo still, and happy, he didn't mind. A part of his boundless energy was contagious, intoxicating, even.

"Ok, so this one over to the left is the slime mold, cause it really just looks like a blob, oh and there's this other one called the luna moth, but my favorite constellation is of course, the mighty stag beetle!" Momo gestured to a set of stars that didn't really resemble anything, let alone an insect.

"Uh, Momo," Sousuke said gently, "none of those are actually constellations."

Momo deflated, "yeah, I know," he sighed, "Nitori-senpai tried to show me a couple, but I wasn't really listening."

"Maybe we could just look at them…"  _appreciate nature?_  Sousuke didn't want to say something so lame, not in front of a first year.

Luckily, Momo caught on. He stood close beside Sousuke, and for a few minutes, all they could do was stare in silence.

The stars reflected in Momo's eyes, always burning with unrestrained brilliance, as though a child could contain a cosmos. A small part of Sousuke couldn't deny his jealousy - when Momo always seemed bright and he had let himself be succumbed in gloom.

Until…

Momo was tugging his arm again, gesturing wildly to another made up constellation. He smiled up at Sousuke, light washing over a shade. Sousuke wanted to bask in it.

Like stars against the vacuum of space. Maybe Momo could bring out the specks of light within him.

They had to return inside; curfew came in just a few minutes and neither wished to deal with the consequences. Momo took his hand almost subconsciously, pulling his senpai into the stairwell, but he paused, just for a moment, to take a final look at the sky.

"Yamazaki-Senpai! We have to go!"

A vague smile on his lips, he complied.

It wasn't the first time Sousuke Yamazaki had gazed deeply up at the stars, but it was the first time, in a long time, that he had found them beautiful.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I figured most people would interpret "first" as like, first date or first kiss or whatever, so I thought I'd try using "first" for a sort of personal awakening or new-found awareness)
> 
> Tomorrow's prompt: Underwear (no fic for this, I'll be posting a drawing on tumblr under "Keep Calm and Chetette")


	5. Daddies (in which I completely avoid the obvious)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Batman AU. Sousuke cries about his daddy issues. Momo tries to comfort him. Stupidity ensues. I really don't know what I was thinking for this one. I just really don't like doing the obvious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this whole prompt is based off a really stupid Batman!AU I thought of. Pretty much, Sousuke is Batman (thus justifying his constant brooding), head of the rich Yamazaki Enterprise. Nitori is the grandson of the Yamazaki's old butler, who took over when the rough equivalent of Alfred passed away. He's secretly an assassin who protects Sousuke. Momo is the chef. He is also an assassin like Nitori. Rin is an ex-con, totally useless, and the only reason he's there is because Sousuke had a little rivalry with him and gave him the option of sticking around and fighting crime with him. Rin, obviously, chose this over jail. Together, they make the incredibly dysfunctional Samezuka Justice League. 
> 
> Below was my initial thought...might write the rest of it sometime...
> 
> Sousuke is a brooding millionaire, still coming to grips with his parent's demise. Rin is an ex con who got roped into solving crime and to redress his pay mistakes. Nitori is a Butler at the estate and Momo is a chef. Both are secretly trained assassins who aid Sousuke and Rin in their vigilante justice.
> 
> But enough blathering, without further ado, Soumomo week day 6 - Daddies (in which I completely avoid the obvious)

 

_Darkness, no parents,_

Momo walked into Sousuke's room, questioning again the vigilante’s taste in music.

“Hey Sou-chan, Nitori is getting pizza and-”  he paused when he saw Sousuke dissolved in a blubbering mess on the floor.  He Clutched wrinkled photos of his parents, sobbing “my parents are dead” to the beat of the music.

“Uh, Sousuke?” Momo asked.

Sousuke sniffled loudly and croaked, “Sousuke is not here right now, please leave a message after the beep. BEEEEP.”

“Dude I'm in your room you're right in front of me.”

Sousuke resumed his pitiful display and Momo ran through the mental steps Nitori had taught him for dealing with breakdowns.  Except he had been more interested in the Simpson's and had totally ignored Nitori.

“Yo, Sousuke, wanna...talk about your issues?”  On a scale of one to ten, Momo's eloquence was a capital F.

Sousuke nodded pitifully, “my father was  a GREAT man, a great man my father.”

“Er ok,” Momo awkwardly squatted down beside him.

“He built the Yamazaki empire, of his own flesh and the backs of millions of impoverished third world countrymen.”

“Suuure, such a good guy”

“I wish you could have met him.”

“Was I even born?” Momo scoffed.

“You were.”

“I guess it wasn’t meant to be,” Momo said with an air of finality, hoping desperately that Sousuke would quit this display in time for pizza.

“But don’t you ever miss your father?” Sousuke whined, reaching out a hand to snag Momo into a hug.

Momo gave a futile escape attempt before allowing Sousuke to cuddle him like a lanky, bony, oversized teddy bear.  He sat perfectly still with a ‘so done’ expression etched permanently into his angled features.

Sousuke nestled his chin atop Momo’s head and sighed, “don’t you miss when your daddy would teach you how to play sports, or bring you your blankie or sneak you a beer when mom wasn’t looking…”

“You were eight when they-” Momo trailed off, suddenly struck by a wave of emotion: growing up without a father, being raised by his ailing mother, and then his brother Seijuro until he got involved in the mob.  He’d never felt the joy of learning the family sport alongside his old man, weird rare occasions of sentimentality, and definitely not shared bond of brotherhood that came with being slipped a can of cheap lite beer...

“I NEVER KNEW MY FATHER!!” Momo wailed, clinging to Sousuke’s bosom.

“YOU PRECIOUS CHILD!” Sousuke cried, sobbing renewed.  

“I MISS OUR DADDIES!” Momo continued, ever full of piteous tears.  

“Hey guys, we got the pizza!” Nitori chimed, sauntering halfway through the door before freezing in his tracks.  

Rin bumped into him - registering what lay before him.

“What the actual f-”

“We’ll just leave a few pieces for when you’re hungry~” Nitori shoved Rin out of the doorway, absconding hastily.  

Rin followed.  Better to leave the sobbing mess in the other room well enough alone, he supposed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm yeah. That's my trashy crack for the week. I'll make up for it tomorrow (hopefully).
> 
> Tomorrow's prompt: Protective


	6. Protective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sousuke is recalcitrant to let Pyunsuke go. Rin is rightly exaspereated. Momo is beyond thrilled. Nitori really hopes Rin won't find any of his "special" magazines on his latest cleaning rage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I kinda realized I put this on tumblr the day of the prompt (liek a million years ago) and nowhere else. Here it is, for the sake of consistency.

3/28 Soumomo Week Day 7 - PROTECTIVE

_Sousuke keeps Pyunsuke and Rin tries to convince him to get rid of it.  Momo is thrilled when he finds out Sousuke kept it._

_(So sorry this is late…life got in the way…anyways, better late than never, right?)_

* * *

Rin made an unholy sound while rummaging through his dresser drawers after his shower one morning.  He bolted over to where Sousuke lay reading a book on his top bunk, red hair still damp and sticking up in a deranged fashion.  

“SOUSUKE WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?” Rin bellowed with all his usual finesse.

“Mm?” The tall man looked up from his book to see Rin gesturing angrily to a mason jar peeking out of the top drawer of the dresser.

“Explain yourself,” Rin demanded, still seething.

“How many times do I have to tell you, the dresser on the right is mine,” he mumbled.

“That’s not what I’m talking about!  I’m referring to the giant stag beetle in a jar that YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO RELEASE OUTSIDE TWO WEEKS AGO!”

“Rin,” Sousuke sighed like a parent reprimanding a child, “I won’t take you seriously until you put on some pants.”

“I’m gonna shove you off the top bunk Yamazaki -”

“Probably not a good idea when you’re in a towel,” Sousuke resumed paging through his book.

Rin huffed, dressed himself, and returned to stand indignantly at the end of Sousuke’s bed.  He tapped his foot impatiently against the metal frame until his infuriating roommate looked up.

“I kept Pyunsuke,” he said, as though it were perfectly natural.

“The stagbeetle  you’re using the name why didn’t you let it go?”

“Shh, not so loud!  I don’t want Momo to know,” he muttered sheepishly.

“Oh why, you don’t want him to know about your weird habits hmm?”

“Would you rather I have given it to Gou like he wanted?”

“Oh hell no,” Rin scoffed, “I draw the line at that.”

“And aren’t you just a saintly older brother-”

“Why is it still here?” Rin demanded.

“Well I um,” Sousuke set the book aside and sat up, “I went to let it go, but then I thought…Pyunsuke’s been raised in captivity since he was a larvae…he wouldn’t know how to survive in the wild!  How could I let him go with that knowledge?  It would be condemning him to die!”

“Oh. My. God.  And you say I’M the melodramatic one?” Rin ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

“Well, you are.”

“Enough of your sass, Yamazaki, I’m getting rid of it for you -”  Rin made a move to grab the jar when the corner of a book collided with his head.  Sousuke followed the book, jumping down from the top bunk with more finesse and grace than he had ever seen in a six-foot-something human.  

Snatching the jar, Sousuke hugged it to his chest, “No.  Pyunsuke is mine.”

Rin rolled his eyes, “Just frikin keep it where I won’t see it.” He bent down to pick up the book, “ “Caring for Your Critter”?” He read the title incredulously.

“Quiet! I don’t know how to take care of bugs - and I sure as hell am not going to ask Momo.”

“Yeah, hate to dash you cool senpai status by asking a first year about stagbeetle care tips,” Rin muttered.

Sousuke retreated to his bunk with a huff, jar cradled protectively in the crook of his elbow, book tucked away under his arm.

A day or two later, Rin had gone on a cleaning rampage in Ai’s and Momo’s room (old habits died hard), leaving a stunned Momo in Sousuke’s dorm.  

“First time you’ve seen Rin on a cleaning rage?” Sousuke asked.

“Heh, yeah,” Momo kept sneaking nervous glances across the hall, hands twitching at his sides.  

“He’s practicing being a housewife,” the older man joked.

Momo cracked a grin, feeling a bit more at ease hanging out in his senpai’s room.

Nitori’s muffled pleas to not throw out treasured keepsakes could be heard above the sound of Rin forcefully organizing.  

“He’d be such an angry housewife though,” Momo muttered.

“Yeah well, s’long as Nitori doesn’t mind…”

“Huh?”

“Uh, er, nothing,” Sousuke mumbled, pretending to be very engrossed in his book.

Momo shrugged, unaffected, and began poking around the room, now that he felt adequately comfortable.  He opened the top drawer of the right dresser, pausing when his avid eyes picked out the familiar silhouette of-

“Pyunsuke?!”  He exclaimed.

“Um, er, ah -” Sousuke’s eloquence evaporated.

“You said you were gonna let him go - Rin said -” Momo spluttered.

“I, uh, well, Rin wouldn’t let me give him to Gou so -” Sousuke supposed he could throw Rin under the bus for this one… “And it didn’t feel right letting him go, not after all the work you put in raising him…”  
“So you’ve been taking care of him?” Momo shrieked, looking happier than Sousuke could have imagined.

“Not so loud!  Well, I’m, not very good but…I’ve been reading about stag beetles and…they’re kinda cool,” Sousuke admitted lamely.

Momo looked like he might burst from excitement, but remembered Sousuke’s request.  

“I hope you’re not mad we didn’t give him to Gou…”  Sousuke began gently.

“Nah, it’s okay,” Momo shrugged, looking at Pyunsuke rather than Sousuke.  

The older man gave a quick nod of acknowledgement and returned to his book.

Momo trailed his fingers over the top of the mason jar, looking proudly at the stag beetle who looked to be in prime health thanks to his new owner’s care.  

“Y’know, this was for someone I liked…maybe…maybe it’s good you kept it,” Momo muttered.

“Hmm? What was that?” Sousuke looked up from his book (Caring for Your Critter).

“Er, nothing, nothing Senpai!”  Momo flamed redder than his hair, concocted a lame excuse to talk to Nitori, and scrambled out of the room.

Sousuke returned to the book, grinning behind its pages.

He had heard every word.


	7. Video Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long night of overly-compettitive video gaming, the Samezuka Swim team retires for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last one :)

Three games of Super Smash Bros, a bag of popcorn, and a royal butt-kicking by an unsuspecting silver-haired angel later, Rin decided to call it a night.  

“I don’t believe it,” Momo whispered, aghast eyes still glued to the television screen, “Nitori-senpai came out of nowhere.”

Three heads turned their gazes towards the silver-haired boy sitting bashfully embarrassed, despite having just ruthlessly robbed everyone of every last star in Mario Party.  Too innocent and sweet to stay mad at for long, the tri couldn’t find it in their hearts to hold a grudge against Nitori (though they silently swore off ever playing Mario Party against him again…).  

Rin declared he was tired, setting aside his controller with a yawn.

“Aww, c’mon we were just getting started!” Momo whined, thinking RIn was about to boot the underclassmen from his dorm.  

“You two can keep playing,” Rin stood, stretching, “I’ll just stay in Ai’s dorm for tonight, Momo and I will switch, ‘kay?”  

“Sure senpai!” Momo enthused, “you can sleep on my bunk!”

“RIght,” Rin nodded to Sousuke and Momo before helping a sleepy Ai to his feet.  

Arm around his waist, Rin nuzzled the top of Ai’s head as they left.

Sousuke returned his attention to the flashing screen, “you honestly think they’ll be sleeping in different bunks?”

“Well I…oh…erm,” Momo wrung his hands out.

“What game do you want?”

“We-we should do the same…”

“The same game?” Sousuke flicked through the menu.

“N-no  like…likeRinandNitori,” Momo blurted.

“You want to what?” Sousuke set down his controller, puzzled.

“I just want to be with Sousuke-senpai,” he muttered, looking away embarrassed.  

“You’re tired, aren’t you, Momo?”  Sousuke smiled wryly

He nodded numbly, feeling a pit form in his stomach.   _Maybe Sousuke didn’t like him the way he did…_

Gently, the taller man collected Momo’s controller and placed all four in their proper places beside the game console. He turned the television off and took his seat beside Momo again.

“Why’d ya turn off the TV?” Momo asked muzzily, head coming to rest naturally against Sousuke’s shoulder, hand searching out Sousuke’s.  

“You’re right; it’s getting late,” he murmured.

They sat in silence, Sousuke acutely aware of Momo’s soft presence beside him - the gentle pressure of his head, the way his long fingers laced through his.

“Are you still angry I threw the blue shell?” Momo whispered; voice harsh against the late-night silence.

Sousuke chuckled, a low rumbling deep in his chest, “of course not.”  As if to prove his point, he looped his arms under Momo’s and pulled the otter boy onto his lap, tucking his head under his chin.  

Momo snuggled as tightly as he could into the curve of Sousuke’s warmth, “I only threw the shell cos I wuv you…” he mumbled into the collar of Sousuke’s shirt.  

He tightened his arms around the redhead, being mindful of the spikes of his mussed up hair that threatened to tickle his nose.  Momo’s breath was hot against his neck, lanky limbs wrapped all around his body.  

“We should do game night more often,” Momo mumbled.

Sousuke grunted in agreement; even with Momo’s bony chin digging into his shoulder (his good one, thankfully) he had decided he quite liked their current arrangement.  

* * *

He awoke the next morning sprawled across the couch, limbs tangled, Momo’s wiry arms and legs snaking around him every which way.  A patch of dried drool clung to the collar of his shirt, belonging to the open-mouthed snoring boy  by his side, orange hair impossibly more spiky.  

Faint smile on his lips, Sousuke began to extricate himself, ending up waking up Momo a bit more than he had hoped.  

“Go back to sleep,” he whispered, pressing a swift, mollifying kiss to the boy’s forehead.  

Momo’s eyes went wide, pupils dilating, for a moment before nodding and complying.  

Still smiling, Sousuke took stock of the disheveled mess he had slept beside, thinking to himself that he wouldn’t actually mind waking up like this more often.  

Momo was right.  They should most certainly do video-game night again…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for spreading the Soumomo love :)

**Author's Note:**

> (To be continued 3/24 for the prompt "I've Waited Here For You")


End file.
